Local authority workers are warning that abuse from residents is so common they are now coming to work expecting to be shouted at.

The fears have been raised by council staff in Dorset, where the local authority has launched a campaign to combat abuse its highways workers are facing.

One of its employees, Ben, who is a construction supervisor, warned that he and his fellow workers have ‘started to normalise abuse’ from residents.

‘We come to work almost expecting to be shouted at or told what we do is worthless, and that’s not a nice place to be’, he warned.

‘I sometimes see my colleagues receive abuse from the public, verbally and even physically. It’s unsettling to see not just colleagues, but friends, going through that.’

He said that ‘people can be very aggressive, loud and confrontational. I can’t imagine going into someone else’s place of work and telling them what they did was worthless and a waste of money’, adding that ‘I want the public to understand there are repercussions to the way they talk to us, and it is unacceptable’.

The council says it has launched the promotional push urging residents to respect its workers to ‘remind everyone that abuse is never okay’.

Dorset Council cabinet member for place services, Cllr Jon Andrews, said: ‘It saddens me that our workforce, who work to improve the lives of Dorset’s residents and visitors, should have to face abuse.

‘Everyone should feel safe at work. Our employees should never be threatened, intimidated or assaulted because of the job they do.’

Dorset Council cites research which shows that in 2023, 2,307 highways workers nationally reported being abused while working on public roads, including incidents involving weapons.

Research published in October this year revealed that incidents of abuse towards council workers in Greater Manchester had increased by 17% since 2022/23. Workers in Rochdale and Tameside face the highest rates of incidents.